


City Without Sound: A Crime Story

by yawwwrp



Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1940s, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Crimes & Criminals, Detective Noir, Detectives, Film Noir, M/M, Slow Burn, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:42:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28526400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yawwwrp/pseuds/yawwwrp
Summary: Private Detective Minho investigates a string of murders, the victims being popular night club singers. While investigating he runs into Changbin, a man who magically seems to find clues wherever he goes. Will they be able to solve the mystery if they work together?
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin
Comments: 27
Kudos: 37





	1. Encounter in the rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> so i'm a big fan of true crime, film noir, crime and thrillers and i thought hey? why not try my hand at a crime story~  
> i've never written anything like this so i'm sorry if it sucks!  
> for the sake of this story, it is set in those film noir movies so 1940s-1950s-ish however lets not question why there's so many asians in an american city during this time and why everyone is gay and no one cares! lets call it creative freedom  
> other than that, i've tried to keep with the main points of this style so people are smoking and drinking and just all around being sexy, mysterious and brooding
> 
> there's also some violence as it does have to do with a string of murders though i wont describe it in too much detail
> 
> i recommend listening to this playlist on spotify while reading it to give it some more atmosphere:  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KleMJjTy4h5xy2xR3QgZP?si=SiXu0kttQv2iTKnpHHiC2w  
> (Film Noir I Jazz Noir- quiet dark jazz)
> 
> hope you guys like it!

It had been raining for the past three days and Minho was currently sitting in his office flipping through a cold case he had been following up on every now and then. He poured himself another drink and sighed as he watched the raindrops slide down the window, the dark grey outside only being dimly illuminated by the warm glow of the streetlamps.

The burn of the whiskey in his throat felt dull to Minho and he tore his eyes off the lightning outside back to his paperwork.

Minutes later, frantic knocking on his door broke his attention on crime scene photos.

“Come in.”

A young man, completely drenched from the rain outside, stepped into his cramped office, taking off his hat.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late”, he panted and Minho motioned for him to sit on the chair on the other side of the desk. The man sat down, pulling out a few papers from his coat pocket, slightly wet from the rain at the edges.

“My client has been killed. I have collected everything the police know- my friend works at the police station, but they have not been able to make any breakthrough in the case… please, I need your help.”

The desperation in his voice made Minho perk his ears. He took the papers the man handed him and gave them a quick once over. The victim was a young man in his 20s, a popular nightclub singer, found in an alley not far from the club he worked at.

“He was killed two weeks ago and they have not been able to find any new leads”, the man continued. He wrung his hands nervously and Minho grabbed a fresh glass from behind him and poured him a drink, pushing it towards him. The man gave him a confused look but took the glass anyway.

“Name?”, Minho questioned and it took the man a moment to catch up.

“Brian. Brian Kang. I am- was, his manager.”

Minho nodded and made a note. “Where were you at the time of murder?”

“I was in my office, my secretary will confirm this to you just as he did to the police. I have been cleared of suspicion.”

Minho raised an eyebrow at him. The man didn’t seem suspicious to Minho but he had seen enough crimes in his short career to know that you could not trust anyone blindly. He took another look at the crime scene photos and an alarm bell rang in the back of his head. He had seen this before. The lifeless body of the victim named Chan stared back at him with wide eyes, lips sewn shut with thread.

“I’ll take the case.”

The rain had let up a little bit two hours after Brian Kang had left Minho’s office and Minho walked the nightly streets in the cold drizzle of October rain. The cigarette he had lit was still getting hit by the water, making it impossible to smoke and he flicked it to the streets with a sigh. The cold air sobered him up and the streets seemed empty safe for a group of young teenagers ducking through the shadows, attempting not to be seen by police for trying to sneak into a club.

Minho reached the crime scene and took a look around, disappointment across his face. He wasn’t surprised that there were no clues left after two weeks, anything left behind would have been cleaned off the streets by now or washed away by the steady rainfall.

He pulled his coat around him tighter to shield himself from the cold, giving up on the crime scene. There had been another victim, a month ago, found in an alley five blocks away. Lips sealed with thread, a muted corpse of a young singer hoping to make it big in the city. Another young life gone before its time.

Minho’s feet took him towards the first crime scene, though he wasn’t sure what he was hoping to find. He would be grateful for any clue, anything to help him find a new lead.

The muffled sounds of a jazz song drifted through the street he was walking, a sad number fitting for Minho’s blue mood.

As he got closer to the location of the first victim, he was stopped in his tracks by a police officer with a grim face.

“Sir, you can’t pass through here. A crime has happened.”

Minho’s eyebrows shot up as he looked over the officer’s shoulder - a handful of cops bent over, collecting evidence around a body in the dark alley, camera lights illuminating the night for a moment. One of the officers was questioning a young man in a dark coat and hat, hands in his pockets. He was short and stocky, most likely shorter than the previous two victims and though his body language was standoffish, he spoke animatedly with the cop. Minho couldn’t make out the words and turned his attention back to the officer in front of him.

“I’m a detective investigating another murder… what happened here?”

The officer sighed, wiping a hand across his tired looking face. “Young guy, a singer. Murdered by the looks of it. I can’t give you any more information.”

Minho nodded, eyes drifting back to the witness being questioned. “That the guy who found the body?”

The officer turned around to glance at the man before looking back to Minho. “Yes. He called us from a payphone a block away.”

Minho hummed and the officer left him to join his partners with the evidence collection when one of them called for him. Minho looked on for a moment longer and it seemed that the witness’ questioning had finished, the man coming towards his direction to leave the crime scene.

Minho’s arm shot out to stop the witness by the arm, firm muscle underneath the thick coat he was wearing.

“A word.”

The man looked at him with a confused expression, but let himself be dragged off to the side by Minho. They were shielded from the rain under the awning of a closed kiosk, the raindrops falling stronger again now.

“How did you come across the body?”, Minho questioned, pulling out a notepad and a pen.

The other man crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I have already answered all questions.”

“I’m not police”, Minho answered bluntly. “State your name please.”

“Changbin.” The man uncrossed his arms to put his hands in his pockets. “Seo Changbin. Are you a private investigator?”

Minho ignored the question. “Where were you before you found the body?”

Changbin huffed. “I was at the Blueprint Club. Feel free to confirm my alibi with the dozens of people who were present - as I have already told police as well. I found the body as I was walking home.”

Minho again ignored Changbin’s defiant tone. “Did you see anyone suspicious?”

Changbin shook his head. “The street was empty. Who would be out in this weather at this time of night anyway?”

Minho threw him a look. “You were.”

“And so were you.” There was a glint in Changbin’s eyes that Minho could almost mistake for teasing but he focused his attention back on the case.

“I will need your personal information in case I have more questions.”

Changbin took the pen Minho offered him to jot his details down on the notepad. He handed the pen and notepad back to him after, sniffling at the cold air. Just before he was about to walk off, Changbin paused and looked back at Minho with a dark expression.

“It’s strange, you know. This is not the first time this has happened to me this month. Finding a body like this. A body looking like this.”


	2. A reluctant partnership

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyooooo!
> 
> i'm currently living off of 8 coffees a day and 4 hours of sleep so i cannot be held accountable for any of my actions! :D
> 
> just a heads up: the length of the chapters varies pretty wildly as the next chapter is quite a lot longer than these past two, though i'm trying to keep it at least a little the same length, my apologies for that.
> 
> thank you in advance for always dealing with my bullshit and still leaving me such nice comments, you don't even know how much i appreciate them! i hope you enjoy!

Minho returned home to his office just as dawn was slowly approaching, shut his blinds and poured himself another drink. He thought back on the events of the night, another body, the mysterious witness and lit another cigarette.

The stranger appeared in his thoughts and refused to leave, the look in his eyes unpredictable and Minho was intrigued. There had to be more to this guy - why was he the one who found two of the bodies?

He took another drag of the cigarette and watched the ashes glow in the darkness of his office, reaching over to turn on the lamp on his desk.

Three victims. They were all left in alleys, they were all nightclub singers. Their mouths sewn shut, a needle mark on each of their necks. There was not a doubt in Minho’s mind that these murders were connected. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaustion overtaking his body. He had been up for two days now and was finding it more and more difficult to stay awake.

The last thought he had before his head hit the notes and photos piled on his desk was to confirm Changbin’s alibis for the murders before he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Minho awoke a few hours later with a stiff neck, afternoon sun dimly coming through the cracks in his blinds. The rain had given way to an overcast sky with a few stray sun rays breaking through the clouds here and there and Minho blinked his eyes at the light, wincing at the headache he wasn’t sure was coming from the booze or the position he had been sleeping in.

He spent most of the afternoon calling nightclubs, Changbin’s employer, a paper company in the area and his acquaintances to confirm Changbin’s alibis. As it turned out, there was not a single one that didn’t check out. Around the times of each murder, Changbin had been with multiple people at every occasion.

Minho heaved another sigh as he made himself a cup of coffee. He picked up the note Changbin had scribbled his information on the night before and took in the messy handwriting for a moment. 

After mulling his thoughts over with a drink or two, Minho picked up the phone to call Changbin, who answered on the third ring.

“This is Minho. We spoke yesterday at the crime scene.”

Changbin hummed on the other end of the line. “I assume you have more questions for me.”

“You assume right.” He paused and listened to the crackling on the phone before Changbin came through clearly again.

“Ask away.”

Minho couldn’t help but smirk at the cockiness in Changbin’s voice. “Come to my office.”

He named the address and the call was ended shortly after, Changbin promising to stop by within the hour. Minho leaned back in his chair, taking in the smell of freshly brewed coffee and opened the case files again, Changbin’s voice still ringing in his ear.

Changbin entered the office a little while later. He grimaced at the mess inside as he took a seat in front of Minho.

“You’re not much of a cleaner are you?”

Minho ignored the words and offered him a drink but Changbin declined. “Suit yourself.”

Changbin grinned condescendingly and pointed towards the notes sprawled out between them on the desk. “Not sure if working while being intoxicated is a good idea.”

“Thank you for your input. Tell me everything you know, everything you saw, everything you told the cops. I need to know every detail about the crime scenes, about your involvement and about you.”

Changbin smirked. “My my, Mister Detective. You’re being very forward.”

The stern look on Minho’s face seemed to make Changbin’s mood turn serious. “I will tell you everything I know. On one condition.”

Minho expressed annoyance but heard him out anyway.

“I give you information, you give me information.” Changbin paused and leaned forward, elbows on Minho’s desk. “In other words, I’ll show you mine, you show me yours.”

Changbin couldn’t provide Minho with any more clear information. Minho had reached out to his friend at the police force earlier, obtaining information on the first victim, another singer by the name of Seungmin. All three singers had been killed the same way, dumped in alleys unceremoniously, as if that’s where they belonged. It made anger rise in Minho, these young hopefuls reduced to nothing more than trash on the street.

Against his will, Changbin was now working alongside him, looking over the same papers. He had found cigarette butts on both crime scenes - the location of Chan’s body and the location of the third victim, once again a nightclub singer named Jisung.

The cigarette butts were not mentioned in any of the police reports though Minho had to admit that it wasn’t a solid clue as they could have been left there before the bodies were dumped. He still kept it in mind in case it would turn into a profitable lead later on.

Changbin took a break from looking over the case files to hand Minho another cup of coffee and taking the whiskey glass away from him which was met by an annoyed look from Minho.

“I think it’d be better for the investigation if we are both sober.”

Minho growled under his breath but turned his attention back to the files.

Changbin sat down again, unfolding today’s newspaper and flipping through the pages.

“It seems as though police looked into family members and colleagues, though there were no suspects or persons of interest. Maybe we should reinvestigate them-” Minho paused to look up at Changbin. “Are you even listening?”

Changbin flipped over the newspaper to show Minho an article about the murders and Minho raised an eyebrow at him.

“You think the press has more information than us?”

Changbin shook his head and pointed at a small advertisement at the bottom of the page - a picture of another singer called Hyunjin performing at the Miroh Lounge tonight. A young man with long blonde hair smiled mysteriously at them from the printed picture, behind him a familiar face. The first victim, Seungmin’s smile visible slightly behind Hyunjin’s shoulder made Minho pay closer attention.

Changbin took another sip of coffee. “Why don’t we start with him?”


	3. A murderous (show) business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayoooo!
> 
> i'm really sorry that the last part was so confusing :(  
> i hope this chapter clears it up a bit!
> 
> please enjoy and have a great day/night~ :)

The lights in the backstage room were too bright for Minho’s taste as Hyunjin put on finishing touches, looking at them through the reflection of the mirror in front of them.

“The police have already questioned me.”

Changbin looked around the room. “We’re not the police.”

“What’s your connection with Kim Seungmin?”

Minho watched as Hyunjin shifted in his seat at his question, turning around to face him. He glanced over at Changbin, who was inspecting the stage outfits, hung up neatly on a clothing rack near the entrance, then looked at Minho. He seemed sad and for a moment Minho thought that if this guy was their killer, he would be one hell of an actor.

“He was an incredible singer… taken too soon.” Hyunjin’s voice was quiet. “We had been lovers for almost a year. He became a singer shortly after me.”

Minho’s eyebrows raised at his statement. “Where were you when it happened?”

Changbin had finished his inspection and came to stand next to Minho. Hyunjin’s eyes darted between the two of them, his face turning into a scowl.

“I was doing a show right here. You can question the owner. Or the audience. Whichever you prefer. Are you suspecting me?”

“Just making sure we’re covering all bases”, Minho replied.

Hyunjin crossed his legs and pulled out a cigarette. “Do you mind?”

Minho shrugged. “Go ahead.”

He watched as Hyunjin lit the cigarette with an overly fancy novel lighter, taking a long drag, seemingly deep in thought. “He said he felt like he was being followed. He mentioned it a few nights before it happened. I thought he was just overreacting…”

Hyunjin’s expression was guilty, a sad kind of guilt, blaming himself. Minho knew the look.

“Did he say who followed him?”, Changbin asked into the silence.

“He didn’t know. He said he just had a feeling.”

Minho probed further. “There’s rumors you didn’t get along with the third victim, Jisung.”

Hyunjin’s eyebrows furrowed and he huffed a frustrated noise. “He thought he was hot shit. He was good, yes, but he was nowhere near Seungmin’s level. They got along when they met one time but I just didn’t like him. That doesn’t mean that I would kill him.”

Sure, it was suspicious, but Minho had to admit to himself that it was circumstantial.

Changbin held up a piece of paper. “Who is Felix?”

Minho looked at him, then at the paper in his hand. It was crumpled and neat handwriting in red ink stood out from the white slip of paper.

Hyunjin stared at the paper. “He’s another performer. He performed here with Seungmin a few times, I think they were friends but Seungmin only mentioned him a couple times to me.”

Changbin nodded. “Do you have a number of this Felix?”

“No, but he is performing at the club on the other side of the street tonight.”

Minho eyed Hyunjin for another moment. “I think that’s all we need to know for now. We’ll be in touch if we have more questions.”

They left the Lounge just as it was getting dark outside and Minho grabbed the paper from Changbin’s hand. “Care to explain?”

“I found it in the pocket of one of the stage costumes. I guess it was Seungmin’s.”

Minho huffed annoyed. “Fill me in before you question people.”

A smirk appeared on Changbin’s face. “You don’t like it when someone else takes charge?”

Minho ignored his question and unfolded the paper a bit more.

_ I need to talk to you about Chan. It’s urgent. _

As they entered the nightclub, swaying jazz music greeted them alongside a young female waiter showing them to an empty table.

Minho ordered a drink, paying no attention to Changbin’s disapproving look and letting his eyes take in the stage. A young man started singing, a voice much deeper than his appearance had led him to believe.

“So this is Felix”, Changbin muttered. “He doesn’t seem like he could have overpowered the victims.”

Minho hummed, taking a sip from the drink the waitress handed him. “Not if they were drugged.”

“Right.”

They watched the performance until Felix announced a quick break. Minho and Changbin made their move to intercept Felix in the dimly lit hallway to the backstage area.

“We need to talk to you.”

The guy turned to them with a surprised face. “About what?”

Minho held up the note they had found at the Miroh Lounge. “About Chan.”

Felix’s expression darkened and he motioned for them to join him in the backstage room. The room was much darker than the one at Miroh Lounge, though they were once again greeted by colorful costumes and the faint smell of stage makeup.

“I know how this looks”, Felix started, taking a sip of water. “But I have nothing to do with his murder.”

Changbin and Minho exchanged a look and Minho narrowed his eyes at Felix. “We didn’t say you were involved.”

Felix sighed. “Chan and I were friends. He was my friend.”

There was an undertone in his statement that wasn’t lost to Minho’s ears. Changbin had picked up on it too, it seemed. “What did you want to talk about Seungmin with?”

Felix seemed nervous, uncomfortable but answered the question anyway. “Chan confessed his feelings to me shortly before he was killed. I told him that I would rather we stay friends…”

Minho’s eyes followed Changbin around the room while Felix stared down at his hands, his discomfort seemingly having turned into melancholy. Changbin looked back at Minho and shook his head, having found no clues this time.

“I assume you have an alibi for the time of murder?”

Felix motioned towards the door. “I was getting ready for a performance. There were about a dozen people I was signing autographs for.”

Disheartened, Minho and Changbin left the club to walk the dark streets with the little clues they gained from their investigation.

“We should examine their apartments. We might be able to find more clues there.”

Minho huffed a laugh. “Clues seem to follow you naturally.”

Changbin buttoned up his coat further, the smirk back on his face. “This is the first time I’ve seen you laugh, Mister Detective.”

“You don’t have much to laugh about in my line of work.”

Years of looking into betrayal, murder, greed, anger and revenge had taken a toll on Minho. There was nothing left of the youthful spark he had when he had burned with passion to find justice when he first became a detective. It was hard to keep the spark alive when you see the worst of humanity day in and day out.

“Well, I think you ought to laugh more, Detective. It suits you.”

They did not find any clues or evidence of foul play at Chan’s apartment and made their way over to Seungmin’s apartment on the other end of town close to midnight.

“You don’t have a loving wife to return home to?”, Minho asked as they entered the small apartment above a restaurant.

Changbin chuckled as he entered the apartment behind Minho. “No lover, no.”

The choice of words was interesting and Minho filed the information away in his mind. They looked around the place for a while and Minho started getting frustrated at the lack of clues, eventually joining Changbin in Seungmin’s bedroom.

He looked over the rows of picture frames on the dresser - newspaper cutouts of Seungmin and Hyunjin, either together or separately written about, pictures of the two of them together. They seemed happy and a deep yearning settled within Minho, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

“Have you found any cigarettes? A pipe? Candles?”, Changbin asked from where he was on all fours on the floor next to Seungmin’s bed.

Minho hadn’t found anything of the sort and told him as much.

“That’s strange.” Changbin’s head and right arm disappeared under the bed before coming into view again a minute later, Changbin propping himself up and lifting himself off the floor to come to Minho. “I don’t think this book of matches belongs to him then.”

“It might be Hyunjin’s.”

Changbin shook his head. “He had that fancy lighter, remember? I doubt he would trade it in for cheap matches.”

That was true. Adding to that the cigarettes found at two of the crime scenes they had at least one clue about the culprit.

“So now we can zero in on our search for every single smoker in the city”, Minho muttered, annoyance conveyed clearly in his tone.

Changbin clasped a hand firmly around Minho’s shoulder. “Don’t be such a drag. At least we have one lead.”

He removed his hand and brushed past Minho to leave the apartment and the warmth from his hand on Minho’s shoulder faded not long after.

They had parted ways outside the restaurant and Minho walked the midnight streets back to his office with a strange feeling in his chest, his mind racing through the clues over and over.

They would need to look further into the friends and acquaintances of the victims, but that would need to wait until tomorrow.

He hadn’t worked with anyone since his first partner years ago was shot during one of their investigations and Minho had not wanted to ever partner up with anyone again. Now that he was alone in his office again though, he felt a wave of loneliness overcome him as he settled in to finally get some rest.

The next day, Minho questioned most of the victim’s acquaintances before Changbin joined him at a jazz club in the evening, hoping to ask tonight’s performer Jeongin some questions.

The young guy looked frightened when they first approached him. It made Minho suspicious, though the reason for Jeongin’s fearfulness was not what Minho expected.

“I had nothing to do with these crimes, I’ve only met Jisung once. I spoke with him for about five minutes - he congratulated me on my first performance.” He paused and his voice dropped to a whisper as he continued. “I think I’m being watched, followed.”

Changbin’s eyebrows shot up. “What makes you think so?”

Jeongin showed them a carefully folded note. “I received this on my doorstep this morning.”

_ Stop the show. You don’t want to end up mute. _

Minho pocketed the note. “Anyone suspicious?”

Jeongin shook his head.

Changbin gestured towards the stage. “We will sit in on a couple of your performances. See if there’s anyone acting fishy.”

Jeongin was grateful and disappeared shortly after, being called by someone to go on stage in two minutes.

Minho and Changbin went to Jeongin’s shows for three nights in a row, carefully taking in the crowds. There were a few regulars, though they mostly seemed more interested in drinking and talking amongst themselves and less invested in Jeongin’s performance.

It was getting late and the show was almost about the end as Changbin nudged Minho’s side. He pointed at a woman in the back, dressed in a glittery low cut dress, a fur coat on her shoulders, her red lips a stark contrast against her pale white skin.

“She’s been here every night. Keeps her eyes fixed on the stage”, Changbin muttered and Minho hadn’t realized how close Changbin had leaned towards him until he felt the ghost of Changbin’s breath against his neck. “I think we should talk to her.”

She got up from her seat not long after they had spotted her and carefully made her way to the exit, hips swaying.

“Excuse me, Miss.” She turned around at Minho’s words and her lips turned into a seductive smile. “I need to talk to you.”

“Hello handsome.” Changbin appeared behind Minho and she let out a chuckle. “Well, isn’t today my lucky day.”

“We have some questions for you, Miss…”, Changbin trailed off.

She stretched out her hand elegantly. “The name’s Sunmi, darling.”


	4. The first suspect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayo friends~
> 
> guess who accidentally took twice the daily dose of her medication, drank too much coffee, wrote 30k today and is currently drinking a bottle of wine at 2am.....................................................................oops
> 
> so anyway, i hope you enjoy! :D

They stood outside the jazz club, keeping Sunmi company as she was waiting for her cab to take her home. She had let out a laugh at Minho’s question as to why she was watching so many of Jeongin’s performances.

“I’m opening a club on the South end of town next month, so I am scouting for singers. Of course, I hope you two adorable boys will stop by”, she stated with a wink at Minho and Changbin. “Feel free to bring some of your friends if they are cute.”

Minho paid no attention to her flirtatious invitation. “Have you noticed anyone suspicious at the performances lately?”

Sunmi hummed and thought for a moment. She tapped her chin with a finger as she responded, “There’s these two men. One of them is very scrawny, not really a looker if you ask me, but he seems to like the music. And another one, he looked like death. They always come together to the performances, though I didn’t see them today.”

Changbin cut in. “Either of them smoke?”

A cab rounded the corner at the far end of the street. “One of them, yes.” She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, writing something down, then pressing a kiss to the paper, leaving the outline of her mouth behind in dark red lipstick. “My ride is here, boys. Call me sometime.”

With another wink and blowing a kiss, she disappeared into the back of the car and left Changbin and Minho behind on the curbside.

They found themselves back in Minho’s office not long after, pouring over the case files once again.

“Nobody’s mentioned anything about them before”, Minho stated, reaching for the glass of whiskey on his desk to find it gone. “Where’s my glass?”

Changbin handed him a glass of water. “Here you go.”

Minho wrinkled his nose at him but drank it anyway. “If they were watching every performance except tonight’s, they might have spotted us at the previous ones. We should be careful.”

Changbin hummed and seemed to be deep in thought so Minho slapped his arm softly.

“It’s not too late for you to back out. You’re not a cop or a detective.”

He earned a smile from Changbin as he got up to refill their glasses with water. “I’m afraid I am already in too deep, Mister Detective.”

Minho had called both Changbin and Sunmi to the club again two nights later to sit in on the performance together, hoping to see the men Sunmi had referred to.

For a while, they just watched the performance until Sunmi got Changbin and Minho’s attention.

“He’s over there, the scrawny one.” She pointed towards a table on the left side where a fidgety man scribbled down something on a napkin, eyes darting from the stage back to the napkin nervously.

“This is exciting”, Sunmi remarked as she took a sip of champagne, leaning back in her seat. “Do you guys do this often?”

Minho’s eyes followed the nervous guy as the song ended and Jeongin left the stage. “We have to go.”

Sunmi blew them another kiss and emptied her glass as Changbin and Minho got up. “See you soon, sweethearts!”

They followed the guy to the door and Minho reached out to stop him but was surprised to see Changbin shove the guy up against the wall in a swift motion, strong arms holding him in place, back to the wall.

“Let me go!” The guy looked scared, eyes flickering from Changbin to Minho and back to Changbin. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Minho looked the guy up and down. “Why are you stalking Jeongin?”

The guy let out a noise that sounded like a whine. “I swear I didn’t do anything! I was just told to take notes. He said I just have to figure out his schedule.”

Changbin pushed him at the wall a bit firmer and Minho raised his eyebrows at the strength Changbin had been hiding so far.

“Who is he? Who are you working for?” His voice came out as a growl.

The guy looked around skittishly. “I can’t talk here… I will tell you everything but it’s not safe here.” He lowered his head to whisper to them. “Meet me at the docks at 3am. I will tell you everything then.”

Changbin glanced over to Minho who seemed to weigh the risks for a moment before motioning him to let the guy go.

As the man hurried down the nightly street, Changbin huffed out a sigh. “What if he doesn’t show up?”

“He will.”

Changbin turned to face him. “What makes you so sure?”

“That guy was scared for his life. And he wasn’t scared of us. I’m guessing he wants whoever is forcing him to stake out Jeongin gone just as much as we do.”

There were more people than usual filling the streets shortly after 2am, it being a Friday night and people walking home from bars and clubs.

Minho and Changbin walked the streets to the docks in silence, the silence in the air only disturbed by their footsteps and the occasional laughter by party goers passing by.

A slight breeze blew open a side of Minho’s coat and the moonlight reflected off metal before Minho could close his coat.

“You brought a gun?”

Minho turned to him with a blank expression. “If the bastard wants to pump our livers full of lead, I will be glad to return the favor.”

That made Changbin shut up. They reached the docks and waited in between container stacks for a while before the church bell somewhere sounded 3am.

“He’s late.”

Changbin huffed. “We shouldn’t have let him go.”

They waited for another five minutes before the minutes turned into ten and then fifteen.

“Something is wrong”, Minho muttered. “He should have been here by now.”

“I told you”, Changbin replied, “I knew he wasn’t going to show.”

Minho shook his head. “Look around. Something’s fishy.”

He left Changbin behind before he could say anything and searched around some containers, gun drawn. Minho couldn’t find a single trace of the man and returned to where he had last seen Changbin.

“Changbin?” He turned around a few times, trying to spy him between the freight. “Where are you?”

“Here.”

Minho turned to where Changbin’s voice was coming from and was greeted with a familiar sight. The guy they had seen only a little while earlier was positioned on the ground, two gunshot wounds on his chest and a note tucked half under one of his coat lapels.

_ You are too close. _

“I guess even though we were on time, we were too late.”


	5. How the Mighty have fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya everyone!!
> 
> it hasn't stopped snowing since last night :(
> 
> hope y'all stay warm and healthy~

Minho pulled out a relatively small camera and took pictures of the corpse.

“How much stuff do you carry around?”, Changbin asked.

“The necessities.”

As soon as he was done taking pictures, he lifted the note off the man’s chest, turning it around to see if anything else was written on it, but there was nothing. Changbin bent down to inspect the body further. 

“Did you find anything, clue-magnet?”

Changbin grinned up at Minho. “We’re doing pet names now?”

Minho rolled his eyes at him. Changbin got up off the floor and handed him a wrinkled receipt.

“This was in his breast pocket. There’s an address - from the receipt it looks to be a drug store.”

Minho hummed, taking the receipt from him. “Why didn’t the killer search his body after he killed him?”

“Maybe he didn’t have time?”

Minho pocketed the note and the receipt and turned to Changbin. “Just like we don’t. Head home, I will call the police. Meet me in my office tomorrow.”

It was close to six in the morning when Minho returned to his office and he debated with himself if he should even go to sleep. The note was still on his mind as he decided it would be best to try to sleep at least a little bit. Too close. He should tell Changbin to abandon his investigation. He had helped him a lot, but Minho was not ready to be responsible to have someone else get harmed or die because of him.

He drank a last glass of whiskey in one guy and crawled into bed, closing the blinds against the rising morning sun. Too close.

Minho woke up a few hours later to Changbin’s knocking on the door. He stumbled out of bed and opened the door to find Changbin, looking well rested and determined on his doorstep.

“You look terrible, Detective.”

Minho muttered a sarcastic  _ Thanks  _ and let him in before wandering off to the bathroom. He spared himself the glance in the mirror, knowing how rough he must look and brushed his teeth.

When he returned to the office, he found Changbin already looking through papers. Changbin looked up at him with a slight smile.

“I must say”, he started, voice softer than before, “You look quite attractive around noon.”

“Coffee.” Minho wasn’t awake enough to converse in full sentences or respond to Changbin’s teasing words.

“We should start by questioning the people at the drugstore. Since the killer drugged the victims, he must have gotten it from there.”

Minho let out a sigh. “Listen… you need to step away from this case. You’re not an investigator. This could end badly.”

He expected Changbin to protest, to argue with him, but Changbin just smirked. “What if I want to branch out, Mister Detective? Or are you just saying this because you don’t want to mix business with pleasure?”

“I’m serious.” Minho slammed the coffee mug down a little too forcefully, splashing hot coffee over his hand.

Changbin furrowed his brows. “I want to be of help. And it seems I have a golden hand for finding clues. So let me help.”

Minho wiped his hand and ran the other through his still messy hair. “Leave.”

He looked up to find Changbin crossing his arms in front of his chest. “What if I don’t?”

“Then I will report you to the cops so the idiots can lock you up for obstruction of justice.”

Changbin huffed out an annoyed sounding laugh. “Fine. I’ll leave. But just so you know, Detective…” He paused in the doorway, putting on his hat and giving Minho a stern look. “Sometimes accepting a little help would make your life much easier and a whole lot less miserable.”

A little while later, Minho was on his way to the drugstore, just before closing time. Changbin’s farewell was replaying over and over in his head though he tried his best to pay it no mind.

It had started raining again and Minho wondered why the weather coincided with his mood so perfectly.

There were only two people in the drug store, along with the owner manning the prescriptions desk.

“Have you sold any sedatives recently?” Minho asked in a hushed voice, the old man behind the counter giving him a confused look.

“Not many, no. There are about five people that regularly get them from me.”

“Who are these people?”

The man chuckled. “Young man, I am in no position to disclose that.”

Minho cursed under his breath, then pulled the man closer by the collar of his shirt. “Look, I’m trying to put an end to some gruesome killings going on in this city. So I need you to tell me who bought them. Is one of them a heavy smoker?”

The man’s eyes widened, though Minho couldn’t tell if it was because he remembered someone suspicious or because Minho was currently holding him by the hem of the shirt. He let go and leaned back again.

The man sputtered for a moment before whispering, “There is one. He complained about not being able to sleep because he was scared of the nightclub killer. You know, he is a former celebrity as well, so it’s understandable-”

Minho’s ears perked up. A former celebrity. And there it was, a motive. 

“I need a name.”

The man chuckled nervously. “Sir, I can’t disclose-”

“I understand but I need the damn name”, Minho growled angrily. “Unless you want to be responsible for more dead bodies.”

The chemist grew silent. “He used to be a singer by the name Frank Reginalds.”

Minho nodded and turned on his heel. “Thank you, that will be all.”

He almost broke into a run on his way back to his office. The name was certainly familiar to him. Frank Reginalds had been the big one, the most sought after singer in show business, five years ago. Minho remembered an article that was released towards the end of his career, a scathing review of his last performance. He had grown old and drink and drugs had ruined his voice, a has been who would soon be replaced by a number of new shining stars in night clubs and jazz lounges.

Minho had felt for him then - a celebrity too caught up in his fame to notice his downward spiral. With the recent boom of new young singers replacing his spot in the limelight, he must have snapped.

Something felt off as soon as Minho opened the door to his office. He wouldn’t have left the door unlocked, surely. He immediately turned around again, trying to leave, though his plan failed as he felt the sharp prick of a needle on his neck and his surroundings started spinning.

He gasped, blinking rapidly to keep his eyes open, grabbing onto the door frame but his legs gave out. After that, darkness embraced him with open arms.


	6. Words left unsaid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyaaaa~
> 
> i had nightmares all night and am tired as all hell :(  
> hope you're all having a better day than me!!
> 
> we've come to the end of this one - i'd like to thank you all for reading and enjoying this story, it was fun to write! :D
> 
> as always, have the freshest day/night!

Minho came to just as he was fastened to a dirty workbench in a cold warehouse. It was hard to focus his eyes for a moment before they landed on Frank’s haggard face. He grinned back at Minho with a smile missing too many teeth and a swollen lip. It seemed his accomplice had not given up without a fight.

“Give it up, Frank”, Minho groaned. “Don’t dig your grave deeper than it already is.”

Frank leaned back with an obnoxious laugh. “Them’s fighting words.” He leaned over Minho, his breath reeking of alcohol and cigarettes and Minho wrinkled his nose. “I would be more careful with your words, given your position,  _ Detective _ .”

He spat the words at Minho, who tried to move his limbs with no success.

“Why’d you do it? Jealousy?”

Frank walked away for a moment, his voice coming from somewhere behind Minho’s head.

“These young things with their lovers and glitz and glamor… they don’t know what they’re in for. Hell, I’ve been doing them a favor!”

He reappeared in Minho’s field of vision, carried a needle and a syringe. “You know, I’m making an exception for you. Just like I made an exception for my little helper. But this time, I can take my time. I will make you shut that curious mouth of yours for good. You ask too many questions.”

Just as he leaned over Minho again, the faint light coming through the partially broken roof of the warehouse glinting on the syringe, a voice rang through the stillness.

“And you talk too much.”

Two arms grabbed Frank from behind and wrestled him to the ground next to the workbench, Changbin’s face appearing behind him. They grabbed at each other for a moment, exchanging kicks and blows, the syringe being sent across the ground away from them.

Frank was able to shake Changbin off with surprising strength for such a weak looking man and crawled slowly towards it before Changbin grabbed his leg and pulled him back. He pinned Frank to the ground by sitting on his abdomen, beating his face until Minho yelled at him to stop.

Changbin took a breath and paused, looking down at Frank’s bleeding face.

He was breathing but he made no intention to move, a gurgling sound coming from his throat as he spat blood at Changbin.

“Get me off this table”, Minho commanded and Changbin lifted himself off Frank to undo the restraints on Minho with shaking and bloodied hands.

Minho slid off the table, grabbing the restraints and fastening them around Frank’s arms, shifting him upright to lean him against the legs of the workbench where he sat with a weak, defeated chuckle.

“There must be a payphone somewhere around here-”

Changbin interrupted him. “I called the cops in advance. They should be here any minute.”

As they stepped out into the cold autumn night air, leaving the police to do their job with Frank inside the warehouse, Changbin took a deep breath. Minho wondered for a moment how long he had been unconscious for, for it to get so dark.

“I came at the right time.”

“Could have come sooner”, Minho replied, though he couldn’t be more grateful that Changbin showed up when did. “How did you know I was here?”

Changbin turned to him with a smile. “"I came back to see if you had changed your mind but you were just leaving. I was about to go back home but saw someone enter the building so I waited to see if they would come back out and they didn't. Then you returned and I saw him drag you out the front door and followed you here."

They walked the pebbled road from the industrial site back to where the outskirts of the city transformed into neon lit streets. A heavy silence hung between them, dripping with unvoiced words of thankfulness, apologies and forgiveness. They came to a stop under a streetlight, a fork in the road, empty alleys in front of them.

Somewhere, the distant tunes of a jazz song accompanied by a clear voice sounded through the stillness of the rainy city.

Minho extended a hand towards Changbin. “I guess this is it then. It was a pleasure to work with you.”

Changbin smiled at him. With one swift motion, he looped his hands around Minho’s neck and pulled him forward, a fleeting kiss shared between them in a hidden moment that no one would be witness to but them.

“It was, Detective. A pleasure indeed.”

The words echoed through Minho, shell shocked, and Changbin smiled at him a last time before walking down the alley on their right, an unspoken promise left hanging in the air even long after Changbin’s silhouette became one with the darkness of the night.

**Author's Note:**

> as always i appreciate some feedback, please let me know your thots!
> 
> hope you all have a fresh day/night! :D


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